The 179th Annual General Meeting of the Kandy Friend In Need Society (KFINS) will be held today (March 12) under the distinguished patronage of the Minister of Social Empowerment and Welfare, S.B.Dissanayake. KFINS is one of the oldest social service organizations in Sri Lanka.
The Kandy Friend In Need society was established in 1837 under colonial rule, to assist the immigrant indentured estate workers who became unemployed owing to the closing down of several coffee estates.
For almost a century from the time of inception of the Society, these destitute were housed in temporary homes and it was only in 1937 that a permanent residence became possible owing to the magnanimity of a philanthropist.
This has been thus recorded in the Annual Report for 1938, “We cannot express in words our deep sense of gratitude to W.H.Pate for the help and courtesy he rendered in donating his Randel Hill tea factory, down Peradeniya road to us.”
The same year it was declared open as a home for the destitute by Sir Andrew Caldecott, the then Governor of Ceylon. The Society was registered under Ordinance No 16 of 1891.
From 1837 to 1953, the Society received government patronage with the Government Agent of the Central Province being the President and other senior state officials being committee members. In 1953, the constitution was changed with provision to elect office bearers from the membership.
Since then, several eminent, dedicated and service oriented individuals such as senior public servants, doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants, university dons and other professionals belonging to various ethnicities and religious denominations have joined the Society and contributed immensely and lavishly their valuable time, wealth, energy and expertise, for the welfare of the helpless elders, holding most of the key positions in the Society. More than most of the average Elders Homes, KFINS is well geared to provide the elders with all the basic needs such as food, shelter, clothes and medicine.
But, most surprisingly a large majority of the elders are not in search of such facilities, since they already enjoy even better comforts in their own homes.
They come in search of certain values that they eagerly cherish, but unfortunately lack in their own homes, such as compassion, loving kindness, companionship, happiness, joy and spiritual progress.
These in fact are the factors that constitute the complete health of an individual. According to WHO recommendations, health of an individual is defined as his/her physical, mental, social and spiritual sense of wellbeing. KFINS is totally committed and devoted to provide our elders with this total health care in consonance with the WHO requirements.
To ensure a spiritual sense of wellbeing, religious activities are conducted at the premises on all full moon days. Meditation programs are conducted every Sunday at the Kahambe, Pilimatalawa meditation centre in collaboration with ‘Success Sri Lanka’ Organisation, where our elders along with the elders in the village take part in programs meant for spiritual progress.
Though all these facilities are provided, elders are not quite happy to live in a restricted space within the four walls of a traditional Elders’ Home.
They prefer to live in a village setting in a natural environment with adequate open spaces and fresh air.
Therefore, KFINS plans to set up a ‘retirement village’ in a land of 4.5acres at Maberitenna overlooking Victoria Reservoir, close to the Digana Golf links and the proposed airport.
Hopefully, once the proposed ‘retirement village concept’ is successfully implemented, probably it may be the first ever retirement village in Sri Lanka and may be taken as a model to set up more and more retirement villages.
Dr.H.B.Jayasinghe